Girl Next Door
by sipsmeg
Summary: Jane moves into a new apartment, when she meets the girl next door, everything changes. Smutty smut smut (eventually)
1. Chapter 1

**Notes** **: This was supposed to be a one-shot but apparently just getting to the smut is taking forever, so here's the start...**

 **Disclaimer** **: I don't own anything.**

* * *

"Are you sure you can afford this?"

Jane rolled her eyes and counted to ten. She dropped the box of kitchen supplies onto the counter and turned around. "Yes, Ma. I saved up so I could afford this."

"It's just a lot of money to spend on an apartment," she said, placing a second box beside it. "You could have got a house somewhere."

"Nowhere I want to live."

"Your father and I could have helped."

"With what?" she asked, holding her hands out at her sides. "Don't pretend that money ain't tight."

"Money's always tight, but you're our baby."

Opening up the box, Jane focused her attention on the utensils, pans and plates that she took from the box. She could feel her mother's watchful gaze as she retrieved the dishes from the second box.

"Are you sure you want to live on your own?"

Sighing, Jane slouched onto the stool she'd purchased from a second hand store. "Ma, I've been living on my own since I was twenty-two."

"Not the last couple of years."

"That's because I needed to save for this place," she said. "I appreciate everything you and Pop have done so that I could save up quicker, but I need to live on my own again."

Wiping at her eyes, Angela turned away. "It's just hard having your baby fly the nest."

"Again, I've been living alone for years," Jane said, rolling her eyes. "I've already flown."

"I was so used to having you back in the house, what am I gonna do now?"

"I don't know," Jane said. "Bug Tommy about getting a job?"

"Your brother is doing his best."

"It's not his best."

"You don't understand what he's been through."

"Don't I?" Jane shook her head and piled the bowls on top of the plates. "He quit college weeks before graduation. He got a crappy job at a service station until it closed down and now he's sitting on the couch all day instead of making money."

"He's trying."

"If you count going out all night with his drunken friends trying, then sure, he's trying."

"He's not a bad boy."

"I never said he was." Jane stood up and opened a cupboard, moving the plates across to it. "But he's already got a DUI. The longer this goes on, the more likely it is he's gonna end up in the court house again."

Angela wiped at her eyes, her lips pursed together. "We're handling it, Janie. You stay out of it."

"I'll stay out of it when you stay out of my business."

"Fine," Angela said, picking up her purse and heading towards the door.

"I didn't mean you had to leave."

"That's exactly what you meant," Angela said, gritting her teeth. "I'll see you tomorrow at dinner."

She closed the apartment door behind her. Jane slouched back onto the stool and ran a hand through her hair. She regretted ever moving home in the first place.

Once she'd tidied the boxes away into the cupboard, Jane sat down on her brand new couch and stared at the black screen of the television. The electricity wasn't going to be connected until later in the day. She leaned back and closed her eyes.

She opened them again.

Music trailed through the walls, infiltrating her ears. She stared at the door, hoping that if she looked long enough, the noise would stop. Her lips curved at the edges. It wasn't exactly your typical music for the neighbourhood. She listened a little harder. The classical music was vaguely familiar, something she'd heard before, though she couldn't pinpoint where.

It grew a little louder as it reached its crescendo, until it stopped suddenly. Jane sat upright, her brows tugged together. The sound of a door opening in the hallway infiltrated the silence. She stood up and rushed to the door but by the time she peered through the glass eye piece, the hallway was still once more.

x

A man's shouts infiltrated the closed door of the apartment. Maura Isles leaned against the eye piece and glanced down the hallway. A woman, her mess of dark curls covering her face, leaned against the doorway opposite. A tall, black man stood over her.

"Come on, Jane," he said, chewing his bottom lip.

"Get the fuck away from me," she shouted, pushing his shoulders, but he didn't move away.

Maura hovered, unsure of what best to do. Then he kissed the woman and she kissed him back, for a moment. A knee to the groin, and he stumbled backward. Unlatching the door, Maura rushed out, her heart raced, though she didn't know what she was going to do, anyway. What use was she? She'd not taken a self-defence class in years, her choice of exercise boiled down to yoga.

"See you at work," the man said, cupping his groin and stumbling away.

The woman – Jane, or so she'd heard - her arms folded across her chest, smirked at his back. Her eyes travelled away from him until they landed on Maura.

"It's you," Maura said, stepping forward, her eyes bugged. "I didn't know you lived here."

"Do I know you?"

"I offered you money at the Division One café, the barista refused to serve you."

"Oh," Jane said, shrugging. "Yeah. You're the one who keeps playing classical music at top volume?"

"I would hardly consider it top volume," Maura said. "Though I only play it for half an hour each morning."

"I noticed."

"I'm sorry." She narrowed her eyes. "I didn't realise the walls were so lacking in sound proofing."

"You don't look the type to live in this neighbourhood," Jane said, looking her up and down.

Sighing, Maura ran her hands across the front of her dress. She anticipated her outfit cost more than the contents of the other woman's apartment, but she wasn't willing to bet on it.

"It's a temporary arrangement. I would say neither do you."

"This?" Jane looked down at her own outfit, she shrugged. "Yeah. It's not what it looks like."

"Are you okay?" Maura folded her arms across her chest. "That man, was he trying to hurt you?"

"Martinez?" She scoffed. "Nah. He's a pussy."

"By the word pussy, I assume you mean he's weak, cowardly, or effeminate, and not that he's a feline, or a woman's genitals?"

Frowning, Jane stared a little harder. "Err, yeah. No. He's not a creep."

"I'll take your word for it."

"I've gotta go," Jane said, turning around. Once she'd pushed open her door, she turned back to Maura, who hadn't moved from the hallway. "Bye then."

"Wait," Maura said, stepping forward, her hand outstretched. "I'm Maura."

"Jane."

"It's nice to meet you. If you need to borrow a cup of sugar, or anything, just knock."

"Okay." Frowning again, Jane took Maura's hand, then backed away. "See you around."

x

A loud scream woke her from her dreams. Jane sprang out of bed, her gun in hand, and walked through the apartment. At the front door, she unlatched the chain and walked into the small hallway. There was no one around. She walked up a flight of stairs, then down one below, but the apartment building was deathly silent. A second scream made her sprint up to her floor and stop. Maura's apartment door was closed, and so was her own.

"Fuck," she said, slipping the safety on her gun and resting it in the waist band of her shorts. She pressed against the door but it wouldn't open. "Fuck, fuck, fuck."

"Is everything okay?"

Jane spun around, her gun out in front of her, her heart racing faster than when she got to drive with a blue light through the streets of Boston. She lowered the weapon.

"I'm sorry," Maura said, her hands up at either side. "Don't hurt me."

"Relax," Jane said. "I'm a Detective, I'm not gonna hurt you."

"Oh." Maura narrowed her eyes. Jane stared her up and down and wondered how she looked so…perfect…when she must have been woken from her sleep. She glanced down at the odds socks covering her feet and the holes in the bottom of her shorts. "I thought you were…I didn't know you were a Detective."

"No, you wouldn't," Jane said. "You've seen me dressed like a hooker, twice."

"Undercover?"

"Somebody's a genius."

"Actually, I am."

Jane frowned. "I'm locked out. I heard someone scream, so I came to see what was going on."

"Do you have a spare key?"

Running a hand through the back of her hair, Jane laughed. "Yeah, inside my apartment."

"That doesn't sound very clever."

"I just moved in," she said. "What do you expect?"

"The day I moved in I got a key cut and I stored it in my safety deposit box."

"Of course you did."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing." Jane sighed. "Can I borrow your phone?"

"Who are you going to call?"

"A locksmith," she said. "I dunno. I can break my door down but then I won't be able to lock it."

"It's late," Maura said. "Why don't you come inside and I can get you a spare blanket, you can sleep on my couch?"

Pausing, Jane looked her up and down again. She didn't get any dangerous vibes off her. The only thing she did get was a sense that Maura didn't belong in the apartment building. She looked too…elegant…for that.

"I couldn't."

"Why not?" Maura raised an eyebrow. "Do you know how much locksmiths charge for emergency call outs in the middle of the night?"

"No. Do you?"

"Well, no, I don't. But I have had to call a plumber at three in the morning once before and it was more than I care to think about."

"Yeah, that's pretty normal." Maura tilted her head to one side. Jane walked towards the door. "My Pop's a plumber. So, if you have any middle of the night emergencies, call me, I can probably sort you out until morning."

"No need," Maura said, stepping to one side to allow Jane entrance to the apartment. "I'm fully aware of where the water valve is. I'm prepared for any water based emergency and anticipate I can turn off the valve in approximately two minutes."

"Two minutes?" Jane scoffed. "The whole place could be half flooded by then."

"Do you think you could wake up, come over to my apartment, and turn it off quicker?"

"I guess not."

Maura left Jane alone in the entrance of the apartment for a moment. Jane glanced around, the expensive taste was anything but surprising, and she was sure at least one of the paintings on the wall was an original. Returning a moment later, Maura handed her a pillow and a blanket.

"Make yourself at home, there's glasses in the kitchen, and juice if you want it."

"I'm not gonna drink your juice," Jane said, placing the blanket over her arm and resting her firearm on top of it.

"I don't mind." Jane followed her across to the living space. "I hope you will be comfortable, the couch is not the longest. I hadn't considered your stature when I suggested it."

"It'll be fine," Jane said. "Thanks."

"I have a safe where you can keep the gun."

"I'd rather keep it next to me, if that's okay."

"That would be fine. Do you need anything else?"

Pursing her lips, Jane considered the question for a moment. "Do you just wake up like that or did you spend ten minutes making yourself look pretty before you came out?"

Taken aback, Maura frowned. "Excuse me?"

"You can't have just rolled out of bed like that," she said, running a hand through her dark mane. "Look at me, I look like I belong in a before photo of some makeover show. You look like you belong in a modelling catalogue."

"I moisturise before bed."

"And that'll make me look like a supermodel?" Jane scoffed.

"I wouldn't have said you were unattractive."

Pausing, Jane looked at her again, her cheeks reddened. She tucked a strand of hair back behind her ear and glanced at her feet. "I should probably get some sleep."

"Of course." Maura smiled and walked away. She turned back. "Jane, if you need anything, just knock."

"Thank you."

x

Having someone in the apartment made sleep impossible. Maura stared into space, listening to every tiny sound, wondering if she'd made a mistake. In hindsight, she'd allowed someone into her apartment who was holding a gun. She'd allowed said person to keep hold of their gun and then went to bed.

It wasn't that she felt unsafe with Jane, quite the opposite, but there was still a niggling feeling in the back of her mind. What if she'd been lied to? She said she was a detective, yet Maura hadn't corroborated that with anybody. She could still be a prostitute who had men showing up at her apartment at all hours of the day and night.

After an hour of tossing and turning, she returned to the living area. Jane lay on her back, her mouth parted with breath as she slept. Maura crept across to the table beside the couch and reached for the gun, anything to make herself feel a little safer to go to sleep. When she pulled her hand away, the gun in her grip, Jane's fingers tightened around her wrist.

"What do you think you're doing?" Jane asked.

Maura glanced down, her eyes now wide open. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be sorry, explain."

"I couldn't sleep."

"So, you thought you'd take my gun and shoot me?"

Maura scoffed, placing the gun back down on the table. "Of course not. I was concerned about my own safety. I thought if I put the gun in my safe then I might be able to get some sleep."

"Did you think _I_ was gonna shoot _you_?"

"I was unsure."

"I told you, I'm a detective."

"For every situation where a gun is used as self-defense in the home, there are at least seven murders or assaults, four accidents, and eleven suicide attempts. Owning a gun increases your risk of death by firearm, not less."

"Well aren't you little miss gun friendly."

Sitting up, Jane rubbed at her eyes, her grip barely loosened on Maura's wrist. She picked up her gun with her other hand. Maura sat down on the edge of the couch, Jane's legs behind her back covered in the blanket. She attempted to retrieve her hand, but Jane wouldn't let go. Eventually, she sat up beside her and cradled the gun with both hands.

"I wasn't going to hurt you," Maura said. "I was trying to make us both safer."

Jane nodded. "I know you weren't gonna hurt me."

"How?"

"I'm a detective." She pulled her legs up against her chest. "I meet criminals on a daily basis, I know a good person when I see them."

"Oh." Maura shifted back into the spot on the couch. "You know, I work at the police department."

"Do you?"

"I'm the new medical examiner."

"The music," Jane said, rolling her eyes and leaning back against the pillow.

"Excuse me?"

"I've heard your music before. It was a couple of weeks ago, I went down to the medical examiner's office to get some results on a drug test and I heard classical music. The same thing you were playing the other morning."

"Bach's Suite G in major, likely. It's one of my favourites."

"Don't medical examiners make heaps of money?"

Her eyes bugged, Maura stared at Jane. "I don't think my financial situation is any of your business, do you?"

"I was gonna say that this isn't exactly the kind of neighbourhood for rich people."

"Who says that I'm rich?"

Scoffing, Jane rolled her eyes. "Please. Look at you. Look at this place. Your blankets are softer than anything I've ever touched."

"It's cashmere."

"I didn't even know they did cashmere blankets."

"Sure they do, they make a variety of items using cashmere."

"See?" Jane leaned forward. "Is that robe cashmere too?"

"No, it's cotton. Why does the softness of my blanket make me less likely to live in the neighbourhood?"

"Look at you," Jane said, staring her up and down. "You're stunning."

"Thank you."

"Look at me," Jane said, rolling her eyes. "I'm not."

"That depends on whose perspective you're looking at you from." Maura lifted her knees up onto the couch and turned to face her. "From the pimples on your face I take it your increased use of makeup is having an effect on your skin?"

Jane's eyes tightened at the corners. "Should I be offended?"

"Apologies," Maura said, reaching a hand out to her chin. Jane flinched, then settled against Maura's touch. "I'm a doctor, it's my nature to notice things. What I was going to follow up with is that you don't need mascara to make your lashes appear full and long, and your skin is in excellent condition, possibly a result of a lack of toxins on your skin. You have a natural beauty."

Under her touch, Jane shifted away. Maura lowered her hand, her eyebrows tugged together.

"I'm sorry, did I say or do something wrong?"

"Nah," Jane said, staring down at her fingers. "This just isn't what I expected to happen at four in the morning."

"It is late," Maura said, glancing across at the clock on the mantel. She slipped her legs off the edge of the couch and stood up. Leaning down, she cupped Jane's cheek again, and pressed her lips to the corner of her mouth. "Goodnight."

Pulling away, Jane's fingers wrapped around her wrist again. Maura stared down into her eyes. Kneeling up, Jane closed the gap, pressing her lips briefly against Maura's.

"Night."


	2. Chapter 2

**Note: Took a while, been busy, and still not got to the bit I wanted to. There'll be more, hopefully lots more.**

* * *

What the fucking hell? Jane stared at the ceiling above her. It wasn't her own. Memories of the night before seeped back into her consciousness. At which point did their mutually helpful acts transcend into lips touching lips? Jane's head hurt. She didn't go around kissing women, least not stunning women who clearly had a small fortune tucked away in some parental trust fund.

"Eggs?"

She jumped. The couch gave wave, and before she could respond, Jane ended up landing on the floor. She called out in pain and jumped back up.

"I apologise, you weren't fully awake," Maura said.

"I was awake," Jane muttered, rubbing the base of her spine.

"Are you okay? Did you damage your coccyx?"

"My what?" Jane stared blankly. She didn't know how they'd even managed to converse the night before, given how properly Maura spoke.

She smiled. "The tail bone. It is especially fragile at times. I've only bruised it myself but I understand breaking it is even worse."

"I think I'll be fine," Jane said, picking up the blanket and folding it over a couple of times. She frowned. It looked nothing like the neat pile Maura handed her the night before. She unfolded it and tried again.

"Leave it, it's fine," Maura said.

She wasn't convinced. The apartment was even more immaculate in daylight than it had appeared the previous night. She ran a hand through her mane, which she expected appeared more like a lion's than a human's, as it so often did in the morning. Maura seemed unfazed and spooned eggs onto a plate.

"I've prepared a fresh pot of coffee," she said, holding up a coffee jug.

Jane stared at her. If she'd had an impromptu houseguest the night before she would not have had a blanket to spare - something she was keen to rectify - and she certainly wouldn't have fancy coffee either. She nodded and Maura poured her a cup.

"Fucking," Jane said, swallowing a mouthful of the hot liquid. Maura's eyes opened wider. "Shit. Sorry for swearing. Sorry for saying shit."

"It's quite alright," Maura said. "I've heard it all before. Is the coffee too hot? I could get you some milk."

"Milk?" Jane scoffed. "I don't think this shit - sorry, stuff - needs milk. It's like luxurious coffee."

"It's the Sumatra blend, it's my favourite."

"Really?" She lifted the mug to her lips and took another sip, savouring the moment briefly. "My favourite is the cheapest."

"Beans or ground?"

Narrowing her eyes, Jane glanced over her mug and off into the distance of the apartment. She turned her attention back to Maura with the slightly smirk. "Instant?"

"I'm not sure you can really consider yourself a coffee drinker."

She shrugged and took another sip. Sumatra coffee, whatever that was, was like nothing Jane had tasted before – in her recent memory, anyway – and anything she expected to taste again – unless she won the lotto. She expected the price tag to fit Maura, more than herself.

She stuck her fork into a piece of egg and scooped it into her mouth. Chewing, she banged her fist on the table, warranting another puzzled look from her host.

"What did you put in these eggs?" she asked the second she'd swallowed. Ordinarily she'd have started talking before swallowing, but she didn't want to appear rude.

"Seasoning," Maura said, raising an eyebrow. "Are you not accustomed to properly seasoned eggs?"

"Nah." Jane forked more into her mouth and chewed, breaking her very brief rule to not talk with her mouth full. "Mine come out all rubbery."

"Cook them slower and on a lower temperature, drag the eggs instead of stirring, and don't forget to add herbs."

"Herbs, which ones are those?"

Maura raised an eyebrow as she sat down and ate her own breakfast. She looked puzzled. There was something in the confusion on her face that made Jane want to laugh, but she refocused in eating instead.

"I don't do much cooking," Jane said. "I'm one of those people who could burn water if left unattended."

"Water is likely to burn if left unattended."

"No, I meant me."

"Oh." Maura swallowed her mouthful and placed her fork down on the edge of the plate. "I called a locksmith, one should be here by the time you've finished eating."

"You didn't need to do that," Jane said. "I'd have called them."

"I wake early, it made sense to contact them before they started any other jobs, and since you were awake more than once in the night I didn't want to wake you."

Jane shrugged. "I have to get up for work at all hours."

"That may be so, but you looked like you were still in your R.E.M. Cycle."

"Anyway, thanks," Jane said, motioning to the breakfast and the makeshift bed on the couch. "For everything."

"It was my pleasure."

She stood up and moved toward the apartment door, Maura followed her across the room. "I'll go wait outside my apartment."

"You don't need to," Maura said. "I informed the locksmith that you would be here."

"Really," Jane said, frowning. "I've already troubled you far too much."

"Wait, don't forget your gun."

Maura picked it up off the coffee table and carried it over to her. Jane stared at it for a moment, like it was an alien concept designed only to confuse her. She slipped a finger around the handle and turned it over in her hands. "I'm not sure the locksmith will appreciate me taking a gun to his workplace."

"You can leave it here if you'd prefer."

"When do you have to leave?"

"Not for a few hours, I'm not in work today."

"So," Jane smiled. "I could come back in say an hour and you'll still be here?"

"I'll let you know if I need to go out before then."

"Great, thanks Maura," Jane said, tugging open the door and heading out into the hallway.

The door closed behind her and within seconds Maura's usual classical music routine commenced. Jane rolled her eyes and headed towards her apartment. Pushing against the door, she forgot momentarily that she was ever locked out. She grimaced and turned around. The hallway was much lighter now the sun had risen and much colder than Jane had remembered.

x

Meeting people, in Maura's line of work, was next to impossible. In theory, she met people every day; police officers, detectives, the deceased. But she didn't "meet" people. She wished, above all else, when she started her new job at the police department, that she could meet people via a more organic source than the ritualistic mating-style events her parents had encouraged her to be involved in. Charity functions and galas were an opportunity to show off how much money you possessed in order to secure relationships with people with an equal standing in the community, in both reputation and monetary sense. The acquaintances she'd made were important, but none were suitable for her sexual or emotional needs.

After ending her relationship with an heir to his family fortune, after college, Maura knew her reputation based dating pool was no longer sufficient for her needs.

The woman she'd met shortly before the end of her relationship with Garret Fairfield played some part in that decision, and she was keen to move forward with her desire to test the waters with female companions.

Perhaps that was the very reason why she stood at her door, staring through the tiny eyepiece at the woman across the hall. That wasn't to say that her new neighbour, Jane, was a suitable significant other, but Maura wasn't against exploring how they fit in a sexual capacity. After all, it had been months since her last encounter and she was feeling particularly dejected at the moment.

The night before she tested the waters, only briefly. Not only because she felt instantly comfortable with Jane, but despite her somewhat disheveled clothing, she found her attractive.

Jane walked across the hallway towards Maura's door. She jumped back, covering her hand with her mouth to disguise the squeal that escaped. She stepped back up to the eyepiece to double check that Jane had, in fact, returned to her door. Instead, she paced back and forth, stopping for a second in front of Maura, her hand outstretched as though about to knock.

She chewed on her bottom lip. There was a very real possibility that Jane was merely cold. Her shorts were barely suitable for summer sleeping, let alone the cool fall temperatures. Having to stand out in the drafty hallway probably made it all the colder.

"You're still out here," she said, opening the door and leaning back against the frame, her arms folded across her chest.

Jane spun around, her eyebrows creased together. "Sure they won't be long."

"Probably not."

"You going out?"

"No." Maura realised how out of the blue her appearance in the doorway had been. She picked up a pile of magazines she hadn't quite finished with and carried them over to the garbage chute on the wall. "I was doing a spot of tidying."

"You read a lot of fashion magazines," Jane said, her brow furrowed further.

She didn't know how to respond to that. Given what Jane was wearing, she clearly wasn't interested in fashion, designer or not. Maura shrugged. "These are old."

"Right." Jane spun around, absentmindedly moving about the small space. She wrapped her arms tightly around her shoulders.

"Are you cold?"

"No." She stopped, still frowning.

"If you are, you can come back inside, or borrow a sweater."

Jane scoffed. "A sweater that costs more than everything I own."

"I doubt that to be true."

"Including my car."

"Did you not purchase your apartment?"

"Not including the apartment."

"I have ample option, in a variety of colours."

She held a hand out in protest. "I'm good, thanks."

Maura returned to her apartment and mourned the loss of her latest edition of Vogue. She'd have to pick up another copy next time she went out. She finished clearing the breakfast plates up and proceeded to do some actual tidying, starting with the blanket Jane had used the night before.

By the time she was ready to go out, Jane had vanished from the hallway. Maura slipped on a light jacket and headed out of her apartment. She walked down the first flight, where she found Jane coming back up, still wearing her nightwear.

"They're still not here?"

"You know what they're like," Jane said, shrugging. She jogged up and down the top step repeatedly.

Maura shook her head. "You're cold."

"I'll be fine, just gotta keep moving."

"You're running up stairs with no shoes on."

"So?"

"Whilst it's actually better for your feet to not be confined to footwear, I'm concerned that inexperience of bare feet life will result in injury."

Jane rolled her eyes and stopped moving on the step below. "Is there anything you don't know?"

"Plenty."

"Like?"

"How anyone could possibly find Homer Simpson funny."

"Seriously?" Jane laughed, too loud for such a quiet space. She jogged up and down a couple more times. "Sorry. That was rude."

"Apology accepted. I have five minutes before I absolutely must leave," Maura said. "I can let you into my apartment and leave you with the key, that way if there's much more of a delay at least you'll have somewhere comfortable to wait."

"But you don't know me," Jane said, stepping up and down again. "I could be a psycho killer."

"Unlikely given the fact you had ample opportunity to attack me last night, and you'd probably be able to get away with it."

Narrowing her eyes, Jane stepped up and stared at Maura. "How do you figure that?"

"I live alone. Nobody tends to come up to the third floor on account of the fact there's no fourth floor. Any DNA evidence, such as hairs, or bodily fluids, could be explained away by a fictional friendship between us. Since I don't know many people, outside of a certain circle, and considering your position as an upstanding member of the community." Jane scoffed and jumped back down a step. Maura glared at her. "Nobody would suspect you of lying, or of committing such a heinous crime."

Jane returned to the hallway beside Maura. "Are you sure you're a medical examiner and not a detective?"

"There's an MD after my name for a reason."

"Impressive," Jane said, raising her eyebrows and tilting her head. Maura smiled and made the return journey back up the staircase, Jane following close behind. "You don't need to show me to your door."

"I need to pick up another set of keys, that way if you do leave the apartment building, I won't be locked out of my home."

They slowed at the door. Jane clicked her tongue. "Unlikely, you've got a spare in your safety deposit box."

She unlocked the door and reached into the entranceway for her spare set. She handed it to Jane and motioned for her to re-enter the apartment.

"The refrigerator is full, you can help yourself. All I ask is that you don't drink my wine. I have basic cable and a shelf full of board games, most of which will be useless to you, but there is a pack of cards if you know Solitaire."

"I'll be fine," Jane said. "Thanks, neighbour."

Maura nodded her head and reached out her hand, running it slowly along Jane's wrist. "I'll see you later."

x

The skin on Jane's wrist tingled, at least she thought it did. It was probably a figment of her imagination. She still didn't quite know where Maura's kiss to her mouth had come from. They hadn't exactly been flirting with each other.

Kissing Maura back probably wasn't the smartest move, if Jane wasn't intending for them to start something. The impulse to do so came out of nowhere and before she could quite grasp why, the moment had gone and she was left alone to sleep.

"Sixty-one Chateau Latour," Jane said, reading the label on a bottle of wine. She could see why Maura warned her off them. The price of wine was not something Jane had much knowledge of, but she anticipated it would probably be more than she cared to imagine.

In the fridge, she found an already opened bottle of Chardonnay, which she took of swig of before replacing it in the doorway. She spat it out in the sink a moment later.

"Why would you spend money on that?"

She walked through the apartment, looking at everything she could see, from Maura's unusual collection of medical books to a strange, wooden figurine on a cabinet by the bedroom. She stepped towards Maura's room. Cautious. Despite knowing Maura wouldn't be back for a while, she still felt unsure about exploring her home. Being allowed access to someone's apartment didn't mean it was okay to go snooping around their bedroom.

The large painting over Maura's bed quickly took away all ounce of worry over entering her bedroom. A woman, naked, lay across the painting, her pink nipples stood out and her lips plump. Her breasts were large, a little larger than Jane cared for, if she thought about it. She tilted her head to the side and stood at the foot of Maura's bed, clutching the frame. The woman was vaguely attractive, though she looked like she belonged in an art gallery and not a bedroom. A small strip of hair covered her pubic area.

On the wall beside her, two photographs hung side by side. Black and white. The first was a close up of a woman's breast, the other of a woman's back. She walked closer and stared at the gentle wave of hair hanging loose around the woman's shoulders.

"Maura?" She reached up to the glass, then thought better of it; being a medical examiner who seemed to have superior knowledge of all things to do with a crime scene, she could very easily do a sweep of the room and find her smudged finger marks on the glass. She picked up a sweater from the clothes basket and wiped down the end of the bedframe and the doorknob.

She stepped back and stared at the photos again. The breast was much smaller than the one in the painting, the nipple relatively small and erect. Jane shuddered, her whole body reacted to the very thought of the body in the photos belonging to Maura.

To deny her own attraction to the woman would be as bad as denying her own sexuality, which she'd struggled with for some time. Feelings were all well and good, but until she had something concrete, such as a partner, to 'take home' she didn't want to open up that can of worms with her parents.

She swallowed and breathed deeply, her chest ached from the lack of intake of breath. She grabbed the sweater again and pulled open the top drawer of the dresser, pulling neat piles forward as she searched the backs.

When her hand hit the long, cylindrical, malleable object, Jane grinned. Everyone kept their secrets in the same location, without fail. She lifted it out and stared at it. It was large, about seven or eight inches long, and had a girth wider than Jane anticipated. Maura wasn't a tiny woman, but she was not large either.

She continued her search in the back of her drawers, pulling out several other sexual items, including a harness and strap-on device. The signs that Maura could be interested in her in the way she suspected she might be were adding up. She hadn't met many women who kept strap-ons for sex with their boyfriends. Not that she had many female friends to judge off of.

"Not now," Jane muttered, chewing the inside of her cheek. She felt the pulsation in her shorts, and she wondered how long before she'd need to change them. She squeezed the sexual devices as she returned them to their rightful place, holding a little longer onto the dildo. She closed her eyes briefly and pictured Maura thrusting it into her own body. "This really isn't the time."

She groaned and threw it back into its location, before turning it around. Maura was meticulous and would no doubt know if it had moved even an inch.

The doorbell rang. Jane picked up the sweater she'd used to disguise her snooping and stuffed an arm into one of the holes. The lilac didn't go with her shorts, and she didn't really like how it looked, but despite her arousal, had barely warmed up.

"Saved by the bell."


	3. Chapter 3

Jane waited all afternoon and well into the early evening for Maura to knock on her door. Given that she still had a set of her keys, and an expensive sweater, it seemed likely to expect a visitor. By dinner time, she was disappointed. She didn't know why, really. Despite knowing a little more about Maura's sexual interests, that didn't mean she was going to bash her door down looking for sex.

Even if the mere thought of Maura's lips, and her drawer full of pleasure, sent a tingling sensation through Jane's underpants.

The sound of heels clacking up the stairs caught her attention and she tiptoed across to her door. She thanked the world for inventing eyepieces and watched her as she unlocked the door to her apartment.

Still no visit.

Distracting herself briefly, Jane placed an egg into a pot of boiling water and emptied some frozen fries into the grill. Ordinarily she'd have ordered a pizza, but paying for the locksmith put her in the red for the rest of the week.

Jane sat down and closed her eyes. Next door, Maura was likely cooking up a storm, something that Jane had no concept of. She made a mental note to ask her mother to fill her freezer, it was the only way she'd make it through til pay day. The momentary lapse in concentration was a mistake.

The smoke alarm bleeped loudly. Jane sprang out of her seat, her eyes wide open as she searched for the problem. The fries were cold, she hadn't even turned the grill on. She turned off the steaming pot and removed it from the ring.

A loud knock on the door sent her head into a spin. She wasn't ready for visitors, least not her beautiful, blonde neighbour.

Rushing into the bedroom, Jane ran a comb through her hair, tidying her mane as best as she could. She stuffed her hand into a pile of makeup and found a lipstick, which she applied haphazardly. On her way out of the bedroom, she regretted it. But as she turned back again, another knock filled the apartment.

"Oh, hey," Jane said, in greeting, as she pulled the door open.

Maura stood on the other side, her hair and makeup as perfect as every time she'd seen her. "I heard a smoke alarm, is everything alright?"

Jane rolled her eyes. "You know how I said I could burn water? Guess who just did?"

"Oh no!" Maura glanced behind her, then caught her eye, narrowing them slightly. "I assume you're probably over the moon to be back in your own apartment, but since you've had a cooking mishap, I wondered if you'd like to join me. I always make too much food and end up eating the leftovers for days."

"Me too!" Jane said. "But with takeout."

Laughing, Maura tilted her head to the side. "Are you wearing lipstick?"

"This?" Jane ran the back of her hand across her mouth and shook her head. "I had a cherry popsicle."

"In this weather?"

"I'm weird."

Maura raised an eyebrow. "Dinner?"

"Yes, please," Jane said, grabbing a jacket and her keys she rushed out of the apartment. The sooner she could escape her embarrassing attempt at cooking, the better.

They sat in silence, feasting on lemon sole, asparagus and garden peas. Jane ate politely, despite having taken a dislike to asparagus a few years ago. She cut it small and piled the fish high on her fork, juggling with the peas as she pushed it into her mouth.

"You didn't have work today?" Maura asked.

"Nuh-uh," Jane said, swallowing her mouthful. She looked down, her face contorted with distaste. She continued eating regardless.

"I had an autopsy to conduct." Maura scooped a forkful of peas expertly into her mouth. "He had a six inch hole in his head."

A gasp of breath pulled peas into her windpipe and Jane coughed and spluttered. She struggled to catch her breath, wheezing momentarily.

"Are you okay?" Maura filled a glass on the table with water and pushed it towards her. Jane sipped it slowly, her breathing returned to normal. "I apologise. I realise I probably should have avoided talking about the detail of an autopsy. Most people are not desensitised to the horrific injuries I see on a daily basis."

"No." Jane downed the rest of her water. "I wasn't expecting that."

"Are you okay?"

"Fine," Jane said. She averted her gaze, unsure of where best to look. She could feel Maura staring at her, waiting for her to meet her eyes. Jane kept her head low and continued eating.

Maura sighed. "Did I do something wrong? Aside from the slip up regarding the victims injuries."

"Course not." Jane chewed on a fresh piece of fish. "It's lovely. Thanks."

"You could say that with more conviction." Maura reached her hand out to Jane's wrist. She looked at her long, slender fingers as they wrapped around her skin. Her nails were kept short, but painted in a simple pale pink. "If you don't like it, I won't be offended."

She looked up sheepishly. "I'm sorry. I like some fish, and asparagus…"

"You don't like asparagus."

"No." Her eyes stayed, fixed, on Maura's hand. A tingling sensation travelled up her arm and down into her very core. She looked up, her eyes locked with Maura's for the first time. She could feel her cheeks redden. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be." Maura stood up, interlinking her fingers with Jane's. "I'm full. Come sit on the couch with me."

Not wanting to lose physical contact with Maura, Jane followed her across the room, led by her hand and the sensation she knew would warrant a change of underwear. Maura sat down, abandoning her hand as though it no longer mattered. The look of disappointment in Jane's eyes was too much. She forged a smiled and curled up beside Maura.

"Tell me about yourself."

The question was simple, easy, yet harder than Jane had anticipated. She considered her answer for a moment. "Not a lot to tell."

"Everybody has a story." Maura's smile intensified, her eyelids fluttered playfully. "What's yours?"

"I'm pretty plain."

"I don't believe that for a second."

"You go first," Jane said, self consciousness throwing a blanket over her already high wall. "You're fascinating."

"I am?" Maura tilted her head to one side, her tongue travelled across her bottom lip. "What makes you say that?"

"Your pictures." Jane groaned. She wasn't supposed to have seen them. Maura didn't know she'd been into her bedroom and Jane regretted telling her.

"The photographs of me, or the artwork above my bed?"

Jane choked on fresh air. Expectation of Maura's reaction was replaced by reality. "Both. I suppose."

"You want to know why I would display a painting of a naked woman above my bed?"

"Something like that."

"Why I posed naked in my own photo shoot?"

"Yes," Jane whispered, the response from her body overwhelmed her. She crossed her legs, and pushed her hands down between the space. She didn't dare bring them closer.

"My ex-girlfriend was a photographer."

"Ex…girlfriend…" Jane spoke slowly, cautiously, as though what she'd heard might not be what Maura said. But Maura only nodded in affirmation. "I didn't know you…"

"You didn't even guess?" Maura asked, trailing a finger along Jane's arm. "Not even a little bit?"

"Maybe a little." Her voice lacked conviction and Jane didn't like it. In her work she had to be firm, certain of her words. Maura left her a jumbled mess.

"I knew the second I saw you in your night wear," Maura said. "There was something about you."

"Knew what?" Jane asked, playing innocent. "What did you know?"

"Your affiliation to women, in a sexual capacity."

The words were unexpected. The sentiment less so. Maura's behaviour suggested she knew more about Jane than Jane knew completely about herself. She pulled her hands up further between her legs.

The tingling sensation preceded her bravest moment. "I think I'm gay."

"You think?" Maura's eyebrows tugged together, disappointment spread across her face. "Are you not certain?"

"That depends."

"On what?"

Ignoring the voice in her head that told her to run back to the safety of her home, Jane leaned forward. "On if you're coming on to me."

"I'm glad you noticed," Maura said, grinning.

Putting more thoughts aside, Jane pressed her lips up against Maura's, retrieving her hands and lifting them up against Maura's breasts. She pulled them away, letting her mouth fall. "Sorry, that was forward."

Maura's smile didn't fade. She leaned back in, her breath hot on Jane's ear. "Do you know what I did the second the photos were over?"

Jane shook her head. Words escaped her.

"I pushed two fingers into my girlfriend's body and fucked her like tomorrow wouldn't arrive."

Jane gasped for breath, she leaned forward spluttering again.

"I'll get you some more water," Maura said, standing up.

Jane grasped at her hand, pulling her back down. She captured her lips, confidently returning her hands to Maura's breasts. Her mind travelled quickly over how appropriate it was to be touching her up when they barely knew each other, but Maura covered her hands and massaged her palms against her body. Jane kneeled up, leaning over Maura as her tongue infiltrated Maura's mouth.

x

It was safe to say that Jane was interested in her. Maura let go of Jane's hands, allowing her to take over the action. She reached out and tugged up the sides of Jane's tshirt, not stopping until Jane lifted her arms into the air and allowed her to take it off.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Jane asked, breathless.

Maura tilted her head and stared at her. "Why wouldn't I?"

"You…you're stunning, I'm plain Jane," she said, sitting back against her ankles.

Maura sat up and crossed her legs. Jane didn't present to her as lacking in confidence. Her actions the previous day with her colleague were enough to recognise an ability for Jane to hold it together. She ignored her words for a moment. Her skin tingled and she longed to feel Jane's naked body against hers. She reached behind her back and tugged at the zipper.

"Let me," Jane said, her fingers pulled the zip down. She sat back again. "Sorry. Is this okay?"

Climbing off the couch, Maura stood up, letting her dress fall to the ground. She silently thanked herself for putting on a matching set of underwear that morning. "What's your hesitation?"

"My hesitation?"

"Yes. Why won't you take a lead?"

Jane stood up facing her. "Am I supposed to?"

"No. But each time you use your initiative you stop yourself."

"You've done this before," Jane said.

The revelation shouldn't have surprised her. Jane had all the signs of being unsure about her own sexual prowess. Maura stared at her. The intimacy they had already shared couldn't be ignored, but Maura sighed.

"Oh."

"I knew that'd be a problem." Jane retrieved her tshirt and tugged it back over her head.

"Now you're going to run?" Maura asked, her eyebrows pulled together.

"What else do you want me to do?"

"Fuck me like it's the sixteenth time." Her eyes grew wide. Maura could tell that Jane wasn't expecting her to say that and she didn't quite know how to follow it up. The disappointment etched on Jane's face was enough for her to back down. "It's okay. You can go."

Jane stared at her a moment longer. "That's it?"

"I appreciate you've never done this before," Maura said. "It's not an easy step to take."

"Err, thanks."

"I'm not saying we can't have a sexual encounter, I need you to…actually follow through."

"I can follow through."

"Can you?" Maura sighed. "What experience do you have with sexual encounters with men?"

"Loads." The glint in her eye suggested otherwise. Maura turned around and headed towards her bedroom. "Okay, not loads, but that shouldn't matter. Does it matter?"

"No. Lying to me about it does," Maura said, spinning around.

"I'm trying."

"I know." Maura shrugged. "Are you sure you want this?"

"Yes."

"You're not going to turn around and tell me you don't in fifteen minutes?"

"It'll take that long?"

"Are you serious?"

"I guess men come quicker."

Maura ignored Jane's inexperience and stepped forward. She trailed her fingertips along Janes shoulder. "I like people to take initiative."

"What do you want me to do?"

She rolled her eyes and headed once more for the bedroom. "Let's try this another time. Perhaps in a couple of years."

x

The bedroom door clicked shut. Jane stood in the living room, her tshirt folded up at one side, her bare skin exposed to the warm apartment. She released it and stared around Maura's home. She should leave. That would be the most logical option. But the pooling in her underwear needed attending to, and she didn't much want to spend the night alone.

"Maura?" she whispered, hoping she'd be on the other side of her door, waiting to come back out. To no avail. She marched across the room, stopping at the bedroom door. She stared at it. The wood needed varnishing at the corners, and the handle had seen better days. She lifted her hand to knock, then hesitated. She removed her tshirt, kicked off her pants and underwear, and unhooked her bra. She gripped the handle and pulled it down, before she could let her brain stop her. She swung the door open. If she was going to do what Maura asked, she had to do it with full force, no looking back. "Fuck me with your strap on."

Maura sat at the end of the bed. She stared up into Jane's eyes, confusion etched across her face. Slowly, her eyes travelled down Jane's body, and from the smile on her face, Jane assumed she was not disappointed.

"How do you know I own a strap on?" Maura asked, her lips pressed together, her smile disguised.

"I…" Jane realised the error in her words, and retreated slightly. "Don't all lesbians have one?"

"Jane." Maura raised her eyebrows.

She stepped into the room, forcing confidence into her step. She opened the top drawer and pushed clothing aside. Stepping back, she brought the strap on and dildo back out into the open. "I snooped. Feel free to throw me out."

Standing up, Maura walked toward her, one slow step at a time. She tilted her head to one side, her eyes still trained on her body. She tilted her head to the other side, and smiled. The silence unsettled Jane. She wondered if she'd taken things a step too far. Maura hadn't spoken in nearly a minute, and she didn't like it.

Stepping closer, Maura held out her hands until Jane handed over the items. She raised her eyebrows and stared at her. "Well?"

"Well, what?" Jane asked.

"Aren't you going to help me put it on?"

Her eyes bugged. Jane took the strap on back and held it up. She turned it over, still not quite sure how to use it.

"Fuck the strap on, the other one will do," Jane said, throwing it on the floor and wrapping her arms around Maura's shoulders. She captured her lips, desperate to feel skin against skin. She walked forward, forcing Maura backward until her knees collided with the bed. She sat down. Jane's heart thumped loudly, her breath caught in her throat. She kept her fingers trailed across Maura's bare back. Clumsily, she unhooked her bra. Maura sat back, Jane knelt either side of her. "Can I fuck you first?"

Maura tossed the dildo across the bed and wrapped her arms around Jane's back. "Later. I need to show you how to have sex without a phallic object. Trust me, you won't regret it."

Shocked by Maura's bluntness, Jane leaned backward, tumbling onto the floor. She righted herself and stepped forward, ready to lift her knees back up. Maura lifted a hand and stopped her.

"Lie down."

Jane stared at her. "I thought you wanted me to…"

"You took initiative. Now it's time for me to teach you how to fuck a lady."

She sat down on the edge of the bed beside Maura, then lifted her legs up. Maura crawled over the top of her, her lips trailed wet paths down her breasts, tantalising her nipples. Jane clutched at the bed sheets. She lifted her hips, desperate to feel the overflow of orgasm. She stared into Maura's eyes, desperation in her own.

"Don't tease me," she said, but her eyeballs were already moving into the backs of her eyes. Maura drew her fingernails up the inside of her leg, pushing her forwards. She tried to breath but each breath was too hard to take. "Please."

"It takes time," Maura said, returning to her lips. She lifted her mouth to Jane's, stopping barely an inch away. Every time she breathed her breath was hot against her mouth. Her fingers moved into her wetness. Slow. Methodical. Sensual.

She pulled her lips away. Jane attempted to sit up, following her mouth, desperate to feel her lips against hers. When her mouth replaced her fingers, Jane's breath vanished completely. She gasped loudly, panting with every swift movement of her tongue as it infiltrated her wettest spot. The highest point approached her and she grunted loudly, screeching a little as Maura sucked her pulse point.

"Stop," Jane gasped, clinging to the bedsheets for dear life. Her whole body shuddered uncontrollably and she fell back against the bed.

"If I stop now, you'll miss the good part," Maura whispered, her hot breath teased her groin. Jane lifted her hips, meeting the fingers that Maura pushed into her once more.

"It's too much," she said, breathing heavily, feeling something so much greater than she'd ever experienced before. Her recovery was quicker, her body already several levels higher than she thought.

The longer the strokes, the harder it became to keep herself together. Jane moaned, thrusting her hips faster against Maura's hand. She longed to topple over, to finally reach the crescendo, but the further they went, the higher she got until it became unbearable.

The cold air hit her hottest point. Jane sat up, disappointed to be left hanging with feelings she had no idea how to control. Her body went up and up, capturing her full attention. Her whole body tingled, and she couldn't breath. Maura's pert buttocks, still covered in lacy underwear, was all she could see.

A moment later, she lifted her head back up, the dildo in hand. Jane cried out, unsure of how much longer she could take it, before Maura thrust the device into her body. It slid in with ease, and Jane began thrusting her hips again.

"Faster," Jane gasped.

She closed her eyes tightly, the seedy scent of sex filled her nostrils, thoughts of Maura filled her brain. Maura's tongue returned to her clit, trailing expertly across her sensitive skin. Thrusting the phallic object in and out. Jane reached out and gripped the bedsheets again. Her heart thundered, her body hot with passion. She thrust her hips upwards a few more times. Fighting for breath, Jane screamed out, not caring who might hear as she tumbled over the edge, lost in a world she'd never explored and was desperate to stay in for as long as possible. She cried out, moaning until her orgasm slowed down and she was left spent.


End file.
